President Cyril Ramaphosa is deeply saddened by the deaths of four South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members who passed away overnight on Friday, 05 July 2024, while on duty to combat illegal mining.

As Commander-in-Chief of the SANDF, President Ramaphosa offers his condolences to the families of the victims as well as to their commanders and colleagues.

The President’s thoughts are with the team of soldiers who discovered their deceased colleagues in a container at a disused mine shaft at Orkney in the North West Province.

While police are investigating the matter, the deceased troops, who showed no injuries and were fully kitted and armed, are believed by the police and the SANDF to have died from carbon monoxide poisoning resulting from a fire they made to keep warm. 

The troops were part of Operation Vala Umgodi which is directed at combating illegal mining.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Presidency of the Republic of South Africa.

Global energy companies including Vitol, Africa Oil Corp. and ERHC Energy Inc. will showcase Africa’s premier energy sector opportunities at the Invest in African Energy reception in London this week, organized by the African Energy Chamber (AEC) (https://EnergyChamber.org). The reception serves to catalyze investor interest in Africa’s energy prospects ahead of the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energy conference in Cape Town this November, showcasing the potential of the African energy market and exploring strategies to unlock its full potential. 

Kicking off discussions on the continent’s available upstream acreage, Marilyn Logan, Director General of the Liberia Petroleum Regulatory Authority will showcase Liberia’s frontier exploration prospects during an opening keynote. Liberia is currently looking to attract major explorers to its prospective hydrocarbon resources, supported by extensive 2D and 3D multi-client seismic data in the Liberia and Harper basins and an ongoing direct negotiation process. Rene Awambeng, Managing Partner at advisory firm Premier Invest, will also deliver an opening keynote on Africa’s current investment climate and the role of strengthened fiscal and regulatory frameworks in unlocking global capital. 

AEW: Invest in African Energy is the platform of choice for project operators, financiers, technology providers and government, and has emerged as the official place to sign deals in African energy. Visit www.AECWeek.com for more information about this exciting event.

Moderated by Susan D. Maples, Partner at international law firm Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt&Mosle, a dynamic panel discussion will unite private sector players across the energy value chain, from frontier exploration to fuel refining and distribution. Oneyka Cindy Ojogbo, Partner at pan-African legal, tax and advisory firm CLG, will be the MC and will also deliver a keynote. Peter Ntephe, CEO of American oil and gas corporation ERHC Energy Inc., will discuss strategies for fostering sustainable growth through risk-balanced exploration, cost efficient development and high margin production. ERHC Energy holds interests in some of Africa’s most exciting oil and gas provinces, including Block 11A in Kenya, Block BDS 2008 in Chad, six blocks in the Joint Development Zone in the Gulf of Guinea and Block 4 in São Tomé&Príncipe.

Steve Bran, Head of LNG Operations at multinational energy and commodity trader Vitol, will weigh in on Africa’s LNG potential and Vitol’s role in advancing the refining, distribution and trade of refined petroleum products to local and regional markets. Last month, the company announced plans to invest more than $550 million in clean cooking technologies in Africa through 2030, including both LPG infrastructure and investment in new projects. Vitol also recently acquired South African energy group Engen, which will see the company assume control of more than 3,900 service stations and two billion liters of storage capacity across 27 African countries and inject R10 billion into its South African operations. 

Oliver Quinn, CCO of Canadian oil and gas company Africa Oil Corp., is set to discuss the company’s latest activities and role in driving African exploration and identifying low-cost, low-risk gas development opportunities. Last March, Africa Oil Corp. increased its stake in the Venus discovery in Namibia’s Orange basin, as well as secured PSCs last February for Equatorial Guinea’s Blocks EG-18 and EG-31 – the latter of which holds prospective gas resources and is located nearby existing existing infrastructure, including the onshore Punta Europa LNG terminal.

The Invest in African Energy London reception takes place at the Four Seasons Hotel London at Park Lane from 17:00 to 21:00. Register now at https://apo-opa.co/3XZajsL or contact register@aecweek.com.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

Ambassador Mersole J. Mellejor presented his credentials to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the Republic of Ghana at the Jubilee House, the seat of the country’s presidency, in the capital Accra on Monday, 08 July 2024. 

Ambassador Mellejor also presented the Letter of Recall of former Ambassador Shirley Q. Ho-Vicario. 

During the conversation that followed, President Akufo-Addo said that the Philippines and Ghana have long-standing relations and must continue to work together noting that both countries cooperate in the international arena on such issues as peace and security, climate change and the protection of the environment. 

He offered a toast for strong PHL-Ghana relations and conveyed his best wishes for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Department of Foreign Affairs, Republic of the Philippines.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs hosted a visiting delegation from the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Nigeria. The interaction took place at the Ministry on July 8 2024. Rear Admiral A.A. Adesope mni. (rtd), Ag. Head of the delegation and staff director, discussed the importance of the NIPSS in promoting reflection, research, and dialogue on issues pertinent to Nigeria, Africa, and the broader world. He stated that the institute runs a flagship program for top-level leaders from various sectors, including public, private, and voluntary fields from sectors such as the military, police, ministries, and civil services. Rear Admiral Adesope said that the decision to focus on Uganda as a study model was guided by the similar pre-colonial history and burgeoning youth populations shared by both countries. “Uganda’s success in managing youth unemployment and sustaining job creation serves as a learning model in Africa”, he said. Adding that the goal of the visit is to learn from Uganda’s experiences, particularly in leveraging of use of ICT to create jobs. They hope to achieve similar progress in Nigeria.

The Permanent Secretary represented by Ambassador Phillip Odida, Ag. Director Regional&International Peace and Security, in his remarks, commended the Nigerian delegation for their visit, emphasizing the significance of knowledge-sharing and collaboration in addressing common challenges. He emphasized the importance of regional cooperation, suggesting that prosperity for one country should be seen as prosperity for all in the region. “Encouraging growth, development, and regional integration is perceived as essential for overcoming prevalent challenges,” he said. For more information, please contact: Margaret Awino Kafeero Head of Public Diplomacy margaret.kafeero@mofa.go.ug, 0787639414 The meeting concluded on a positive note, with the visiting delegation expressing appreciation for the warm welcome and hospitality extended to them by the Ministry and reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to fostering closer relations with Uganda.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of The Republic of Uganda – Ministry of Foreign Affairs.